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What We Love

  • Spotting one of the most elusive cats known as the Grey Ghost, in its prime habitat in Hemis National Park, known as the 'Snow Leopard capital of the world'.
  • Opportunity to stay in Homestays and experience the local lifestyle.
  • Swarovski and Zeiss Scopes used by guides to maximize chances.
  • Monastic festivals and winter resident birds.
  • Guided by some of the most experienced naturalists and Snow Leopard trackers who have worked with BBC, Nat Geo, ICON Films in the past.

Overview

Trip Length

12N/13D

Group Size

10 PAX

Activities

Tour
Drive
Camping
Wildlife
Sightseeing

Why this Tour

In the cold winter months from October to March each year, a window opens that gives you the opportunity to spot this beautiful cat. In its habitat, it is truly magnificent to see it walk with ease and finesse. Once spotted, it is impossible to leave the scopes even for a second, even for our guides, who have seen it more than a couple of hundred times! In that moment, you truly feel blessed and lucky.

 

 

What else...

We spend first two days acclimatizing in Leh, post which we move into the Hemis National Park. The mountains here are home to four different types of wild sheep, the Asiatic Ibex, Blue Sheep, Ladakh Urial and the Tibetan Argali. Also found here are the Tibetan Wolf, Red Fox, and the Eurasian Lynx.

The daily itinerary in the park is dependent on the movement of the cat and can vary each day. On the last two days, we drive to western Ladakh to Ulley or Saspoche, where we hope to see not only the Snow Leopard, but also have a good chance of spotting the Asiatic Ibex.

Birds locally found during the winter months may include the Lammergeier, Golden Eagle, White Browed Tit Warbler, Rosefinches, Tibetan Partridge, Himalayan Snowcoks, Wallcreeper, Dippers, and Redstarts.

Trek Highlights

Snow Leopard Trek

Hemis National Park

Treking

Snow Leopard

Treking

Asiatic Ibex

Treking

Blue Sheep

A typical day at camp

6:30 - 7:30 AM
  • Bed Tea at around 6:30 AM.
  • Scan the ridge lines around the camp till 7:30 AM.
  • Break for breakfast.
8:00 AM
  • Head out into either Tarbung, Husing Nala, or Rumbak Doh, depending on wildlife movement.
12:30 PM
  • Packed lunch will be brought to the location, with hot soup, Lunch and black tea, along with dessert.
  • Scan post lunch, depending on scouting information - if we are lucky, we should have spotted something by now!
4:30 - 5:30 PM
  • Scan more intently, as the movement of the cat is usually during dawn and dusk. Continue scanning till it gets dark. The ridge lines around the camp are good grounds to spot the cat.
5:40 PM
  • Head back to camp for the night. Settle in with hot tea/coffee.
6:30 PM
  • Soup will be served, followed by dinner and dessert.

Interested?

Write to us for customized Snow Leopard Tours. The best time to visit us for this is October to March. Our tours are accompanied by excellent guides, and state of the art scopes and binoculars.